Silver Phase Welsh Harlequins wanted!!

Do they all quack because the two with reddish breasts look like drakes IMO. We sell hatching eggs and will have started birds available soon, but the eggs we can ship birds are pick up only. Our blog has several pictures on it if you follow the link in our signature. I know my wife put pictures of our hen that was reserve of breed at Crossroads on our K&S waterfowl facebook page as well.

I'm not sure how WH color out in the long run (mine are 5 weeks old today), but the standard says they all get their juvenile feathers first, by 8 weeks, then get their nuptial plumage at a 16-20 weeks.  The hens go into eclipse plumage at the end of laying cycle.  Eclipse plumage lasts 3-4 months.  The drakes also go into eclipse plumage in late spring or early summer, and greatly resemble the hens in coloring.  

 

From reading various sources, I don't think the red breast indicates sex at this stage of the game.

 

edited to add:  my ducklings are developing their quacks right now, and I have a few that are dark-breasted and are most certainly female.

Edited by Tahai - 5/14/12 at 6:02pm

Yours look way darker than my WH from Metzer's.  Weird.

 

If you're looking for show quality, look for a local breeder or try Holderread Waterfowl Farm.  http://holderreadfarm.com/index.htm

Thanks to the advice from some BYC members I ended up buying 10 SQ WH's from Holderread's & I couldn't be happier w/them.

Metzer is a quality hatchery, but they state right on their web page that they are not selling exhibition potential ducklings.

 

In one of my own breeds, which I know enough about to speak of it, Metzer sells some really outstanding ducklings and in the same batch you will see some really awful ducklings that look like mongrels.

 

So it is hit and miss about the quality of the ducklings.  You should receive healthy birds, though, so I recommend Metzers as long as you don't care if  ducks are show quality or not.

 

If you want exhibition quality ducklings, you don't buy from a hatchery. You buy from a private show breeder, or Holderread.,

Edited by Oregon Blues - 5/15/12 at 1:59pm

Mine are also 5 weeks - here is a pic of them at 4 weeks - the two in the middle.  One of mine has a yellow bill, the other, a grayish/greenish one, but their bodies appear to be very similar in color:

 

 

First and third ones in this pic (this is my screen saver) - neither of mine has a dark chest:

 

 

Yes, this is what I meant.  I didn't mean to sound critical of Metzer's.  Any ducklings I've ordered from them (for pets) have arrived safe and healthy and they have good customer service.